YouTube signs royalty deal for the UK

YouTube said today that they had finally agreed to a royalty deal with MCPS-PRS Alliance, the organization in the UK that distributes royalties to the record industry. The deal would compensate artists for their music that is posted on the UK version of YouTube.

The deal, for an undisclosed sum, would license 10 million tracks of music and would shelter the video site from any possible legal actions.

The deal should also cover media content such as music videos, said officials knowledgeable of the deal.

"Whether it is music videos, user uploads or other audio visual content, our agreement will allow our 50,000 songwriter, composer and music publisher members to be paid when their creative talents are being enjoyed on YouTube's service across the UK," MCPS-PRS CEO Steve Porter said.

The deal is the first permanent one for YouTube anywhere in the world, as the similar agreements in North America are only temporary intended to keep both sides happy for the time being.

The royalties should be distributed according to how many times an individual artist's content is viewed but the company did admit it would be difficult to monitor the massive amount of content on YouTube.